In short. A Kagi Custom Assistant can have its own custom bang name for access from search.
Definition: Yes. A Kagi Custom Assistant can have a custom bang name, which Kagi documents as a shortcut for quickly accessing that assistant from search.
Key facts
- Kagi's Custom Assistants documentation tells you to open Assistant settings, choose Custom Assistants, click Add New, and configure the assistant's name and custom bang name. Custom Assistants
- The same configuration includes Internet Access, an optional Lens, Personalized Results, a model, and Response Instructions with a maximum of 20,000 characters. Custom Assistants
- Kagi's Assistant documentation says that Assistant can be reached by using bangs in search and lists
!code,!study, and!newsfor built-in custom assistants. Kagi Assistant - Kagi defines a Bang as a shortcut beginning with an exclamation point and says Custom Bangs can be created in Advanced Settings or through the Search Shortcuts menu. Bangs
How does a custom assistant bang work?
The custom bang name belongs to the Custom Assistant configuration. Kagi's setup sequence is Assistant settings, Custom Assistants, Add New, then the assistant settings form. That form includes an Assistant Name and a Custom Bang Name. Kagi describes the latter as a shortcut to quickly access the assistant.
Kagi's general Bangs documentation defines the mechanism as a shortcut that starts with !. Its Assistant documentation says Assistant can be accessed by using bangs in search. Together, these pages establish the expected shape of a named assistant shortcut: use an exclamation point followed by the configured name, then enter the request.
The Custom Assistants page gives named examples for the built-in assistants:
!code
!study
!news
It also gives an example configuration for an Academic Researcher named Research Aid with the bang !research. That example is a configuration example, while the Code, Study, and News entries are described as available built-in assistants.
What does the shortcut reuse?
The shortcut selects the assistant configuration. Kagi describes Custom Assistants as specialized LLM personalities and says that their settings can include a preferred model, custom instructions, and web search access. The Custom Assistants form further identifies a Lens for focusing searches on particular domains and Personalized Results for applying search customizations.
The assistant can then be selected from the model-selection dropdown below the prompt bar. This gives the named bang and the Assistant interface a shared destination: the configured assistant, including its instructions and documented search settings. Kagi's documentation does not describe a bang as a separate research workflow with its own source-selection rules.
How is this different from a generic Kagi Search Shortcut?
Kagi's Search Shortcuts page documents a separate feature for redirecting a query to another search engine or favorite website. Its URL field accepts %s, which Kagi says is replaced by the query. Its Bang shortcut field assigns a name that can be invoked from anywhere in search, with cool shown as the example that becomes !cool.
The Custom Assistant page places the custom bang name inside the assistant editor. The Search Shortcuts page places a bang shortcut beside a destination URL. Both use bang syntax, but the documented configuration objects differ: one names an assistant, and the other sends a query to a URL.
How can you check the setup?
Open Assistant settings, select Custom Assistants, and inspect the assistant's Custom Bang Name. You can also select the Custom Assistant from the model-selection dropdown below the prompt bar, as Kagi documents. Then use the bang in Kagi Search with a request and check that the Assistant opens with the intended configuration.
For a URL-based shortcut that opens Assistant, Kagi documents URL parameters for a profile, internet access, a lens, and a prompt. The q parameter submits a prompt after loading, while qvalue prefills the prompt box without submitting it. Kagi gives this example as a possible target for a custom bang:
https://kagi.com/assistant?profile=claude-5-5-sonnet&internet=true&lens=recipes&q=%s
That URL pattern is the generic Search Shortcut route. A Custom Assistant's own Custom Bang Name is configured in the assistant editor instead.
Related terms
- Kagi Assistant
- Can Kagi Assistant answer without web access?
- Can Kagi Assistant use a custom list of sites?
- How can a Kagi custom assistant retain a preferred citation format?
FAQ
Can the assistant be reused from the Kagi search bar?
Yes. Kagi documents Assistant access through bangs in search, and a Custom Assistant has a Custom Bang Name field for creating a shortcut to that assistant.
Is this the same as sending a query to a website?
No. Kagi documents generic Search Shortcuts with a destination URL and %s query replacement. The Custom Assistant setting names an assistant configuration that can be selected in Assistant.
Does Kagi document what happens when two assistants use the same bang name?
The reviewed Kagi documentation leaves duplicate custom bang handling unspecified.
Sources
- Kagi, "Custom Assistants", Accessed 17 October 2026
- Kagi, "Kagi Assistant", Accessed 17 October 2026
- Kagi, "Bangs", Accessed 17 October 2026
- Kagi, "Search Shortcuts", Accessed 17 October 2026
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